News from Mathnasium of South Costa Mesa

There's No Such Thing as Being Bad at Math

Sep 19, 2017

Imagine a parent telling a child, “I’m just not a reading person.” Sounds odd, doesn’t it? Now reread the same cartoon, substituting “math” for “reading.” Suddenly it doesn’t seem so absurd. But it should!

As a society ever more reliant on technology and STEM-based careers, we must shatter the myth that math skill is inborn and reinforce that it is the result of intention and practice.

It’s common to hear well educated adults declare themselves “not a math person,” sometimes proudly. Indeed, many people of all ages believe that mathematical ability is something you are either born with or not, rather than something to be mastered with focused effort. This belief is wrong. What’s more, it’s harmful to kids as they have their first experiences learning math; the attitude that “I can’t learn math” quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a society ever more reliant on technology and STEM-based careers, we must shatter the myth that math skill is inborn and reinforce that it is the result of intention and practice. Reforming these perceptions needs to be a priority for teachers, parents, and creators of new learning tools that align to the way these digital-savvy students learn.

Core mathematical skill has become increasingly important in the modern world, and a majority of future professions will demand a high degree of problem-solving ability. Already, big data analytics influences decision making in nearly every field, from marketing to medicine to law to farming. And artificial intelligence, coding and other technologies will increasingly require mathematical sophistication. The rapid rate of technological advancement creates a need for future workers who can easily learn new skills and master new areas of expertise. The World Economic Forum’s “Future of Jobs” report claims that 65% of the jobs that will be held by kids entering school today do not yet exist. To some young people, that is exciting. To many, it is terrifying. The tech sector is responding to the need for lifelong learning with online services focused on adult learners, an approach that is important and useful. But it’s the earlier years that most need our attention.

Specifically, we must improve depth of mastery in fundamental critical thinking, problem solving, and mathematical understanding during the most effective period for learning in our lifetimes—childhood. In mathematics, learning advanced subject matter often depends on the depth of understanding of certain earlier subject matter. For example, researchhas clearly established the relationship between understanding fractions and the ability to master algebra years later.

Because conceptual understanding of key mathematical material is foundational for future learning and success, there are three things we must do:

Improve the core approaches to mathematics learning in ways that will engage today’s students.

Change the belief that mathematical ability is inborn, focusing on parents’ attitudes and how they are communicated to children.

Create effective learning environments that exist both in and out of the classroom—involving students, teachers, and parents.

New online tools and learning approaches build on neuroscience research to help students achieve deeper understanding of mathematical concepts while boosting their engagement.

New Tools for Mathematics Learning

Neuroscience has pointed us in the right direction. New online tools and learning approaches build on neuroscience research to help students achieve deeper understanding of mathematical concepts while boosting their engagement. Digital manipulatives, for example, allow students to work with and explore visual models that embody mathematical concepts.

My company, Cignition, creates immersive online virtual worlds to help students achieve deep conceptual understanding and computational fluency with mathematics in an engaging virtual environment. With our game, Fog Stone Isle, players use online visual manipulatives for a wide variety of crafting activities. Students might use number lines to create buildings by lining up bricks made out of fraction bars—while grappling with adding and subtracting fractions. Or they might grow plants in farm fields based on area models—while figuring out how to multiply fractions. Other aspects of our designs are influenced by neuroscientific knowledge about motivation and working memory.

The Role of Parents

Parents’ attitude and involvement is extremely important to children’s belief that they can learn math. Even when parents do not have confidence in their own mathematical abilities, they need to encourage their children to persevere in their efforts toward mathematical understanding and mastery. One way to do that is to incorporate fun mathematical activities into family life. Although it might seem more difficult to do that with math, than say, reading, there are plentiful sources of mathematical games and activities for parents and kids—such as making paper airplanes, investing in mock stocks, growing plants, and crafting geometric bubble wands.

Teachers can accomplish a number of important goals in partnership with parents:

Convince parents that everyone can learn math, including their own children.

Expose parents to the wider world of mathematics—both to its beauty and the pragmatic value of mathematics in technical fields and everyday life.

Provide parents a means to participate in mathematical activities with their kids, no matter what their own knowledge and abilities are.

Inform parents about their children’s progress and let them see their children work hard to figure things out and overcome barriers.

Mathematical fluency is fast becoming as important as reading fluency; navigating the modern world demands it. To optimize mathematics learning for kids during their most critical learning years, teachers and parents must change outdated perceptions and embrace new tools, approaches, and activities. Math can become an adventure and an ongoing creative process both inside and outside of the classroom—one that brings the same level of engagement and interest as reading a great book
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The program has been a tremendous help to our 13-year-old daughter. The flexibility of being able to attend without scheduling a specific time and day is wonderful. The tutors are very patient and have taught our daughter different approaches to math problems with excellent results!

I am truly happy that both my girls Amelie and Soleil are making progress in their math skills. Both have gain confidence and enjoy attending Mathnasium. I always recommend your program to fellow parents and friends who children are struggling in Math.
Thank you,
[NAME REMOVED]

Elin is really enjoying her Mathnasium time and really looks forward to going. She is progressing very well. The plans are well thought out and communicated clearly and all staff including Miss Lori always have time to review things with me when I ask about progress or concepts! Thank you so much!

Mathnasium of South Costa Mesa Reviews

March 12, 2018

W.D.

The program has been a tremendous help to our 13-year-old daughter. The flexibility of being able to attend without scheduling a specific time and day is wonderful. The tutors are very patient and have taught our daughter different approaches to math problems with excellent results!

I am truly happy that both my girls Amelie and Soleil are making progress in their math skills. Both have gain confidence and enjoy attending Mathnasium. I always recommend your program to fellow parents and friends who children are struggling in Math.
Thank you,
[NAME REMOVED]

Elin is really enjoying her Mathnasium time and really looks forward to going. She is progressing very well. The plans are well thought out and communicated clearly and all staff including Miss Lori always have time to review things with me when I ask about progress or concepts! Thank you so much!

We love Mathbasium for our granddaughter Ice! She has excelled and learned so much from the tutors there. Everyone makes sure she is on task but also having fun. She helps other kids at school now, and she understands math concepts ahead of her class. We are thankful to have found a place where people care.

Mathnasium is great because it does help you children succeed with your mathematical problems. The instructors are very helpful and great with are children. My daughter, she continue getting excellent grades on her math homeworks and tests.

We started Mathnasium in August 2017. Both girls "hated" math, and tested at 4th grade level (they were going into seventh.) I had a long talk with Lori Kim, the center's owner, and signed the girls up for a one year commitment.
While the assessment test left both girls in tears of frustration, I did finally get them to agree to "try it out" for a couple weeks. Since their first session, they are hooked! There is never one complaint about going, and they think it's fun.
Best part? School just started. One of the girls had to complete a "Getting to Know Me" fact sheet for her language arts class. She asked me to proofread it. Imagine my surprise! Where it said, "Favorite Subject", she wrote "Math!"

Both my girls attended mathnasium this summer and had a fabulous experience. Their confidence level has increase tremendously and they actually enjoy learning math. I would recommend mathnasium to my family, friends and my girls classmates.
Thank you for the wonderful experience.
Best,
[NAME REMOVED]

Lori is a great owner and center director. She greets kids upon arrival, and spend time providing progress update to parents. Instructors are also friendly and caring to the kids. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a math learning center.

My son is having a great experience with Mathnasium and looks forward to going. He has attended at least 4 times a week for a month and already brought his Math grade up 1 grade. My only regret is we didn't find out about this program sooner.